Alexander Technique Acting Course Level 1 & 2

Intensives 2 days

 This Alexander Technique course will help you find Grace, Ease and Joy in your acting and everyday life.

Penny McDonald is back teaching her Alexander technique course. We are excited to have her exclusively to Brave Studios. Being Hugh Jackman personal Alexander Technician, Penny is currently working with Hugh to best prepare him for his current show in Australia – The Man.The Music. The Show .We are very fortunate to host Penny and her Teachings at Brave Studios across two levels. We have designed 2 levels  to accommodate all interested in this Technique. Those who are new to Alexander and those who want to deepen their study in it.

The Alexander Technique is a revolutionary method of postural adjustment. It is a technique that is popular with actors, musicians and people experiencing tension or injury.

This Technique helps you learn to take care of yourself in every activity that you do. The basis of the Technique is Alexander’s discovery, that a certain dynamic relationship occurs between the head, neck and torso. This is the main factor in determining the most efficient use and functioning of the body.

Actors need to be able to keep themselves present and  in co-ordination. By doing so they will be free of unnecessary tension. They will also maintain fluid in breath. This is where Alexander Technique can be helpful and freeing in the work.

During this Alexander technique course, we will explore the main principles of the Alexander Technique. You will learn how to find grace, ease and joy in every activity that you do. 

The Alexander Technique helps you be the best you can be. How you warm up, how you walk into an audition, and how you act and tell stories. 

Actors are storytellers, having to step into the shoes of characters. Taking a journey into the life of a character, can be unpalatable if you have tension in your work. To truly honour the writer, the actor must be present, listening with their whole body, breathing freely, and have no unnecessary tension. This is where Alexander Technique is useful.

Hugh Jackman talks about the usefulness of the Alexander Technique for actors. The Actors Studio

These Alexander technique courses will cover:

LEVEL 1

*This is an entry level to the Alexander Technique

• Exploring the main principles of Alexander technique
• How to Breathe freely
• Listening to the whole of your body to enhance the work
• Finding the rhythm and weight of a character
• Eliminating bad habits that get in the way
• How to authentically embody a charachter
• Working through unessesary tension in your body
• Discovering your neutural enlignment
• Investigating your ease with being present and focused

Level 2

*This course is for students who have had previous training in Alexander Technique and/or have completed an advanced level Acting course at Brave Studios or equivalent

All elements in Level 1 stated above will be included in this course.This will be a continuation of study in Alexander Technique, diving even deeper into the work. There will be a short revision on the principles of the Alexander Technique before getting straight to work on embodying a character. Students will be working on strong characters and how to best explore them through body and movement. Participants will also explore how the character history lives in your body, and how the characters voice and way of walking can come authentically from you.

Students will also work on a strong piece of text, researching the main hero within it and bring the character to life in its full capacity and power. Participants will explore different physical techniques within Alexander including finding your character through Animal behaviours.

The Alexander Technique

For over 100 years, actors, dancers, singers, and musicians have used the Alexander Technique in order to be more effective on stage. Benefits to be gained include release of restrictions, increased coordination, effortless movement, fuller capacity of breath, improvement of the use of the voice and speech, increased tone in the musculature, and a stronger sense of presence.

Alexander was born in Tasmania. He became a actor who lost his voice. His journey to fix his voice produced a method of observation and change that is now taught in most performing arts institutions around the world. For actors it is important to trust that if something is not working, they can easily and immediately bring about change. 

The Alexander Technique helps you learn to take care of yourself in every activity that you do. 

The basis of the Technique is Alexander’s discovery that a certain dynamic relationship of the head, neck and torso. This is the main factor in determining the most efficient use and functioning of the body.

Quotes

“Stanislavski understood that excessive and unnecessary tension interfered with creating the spiritual life of a character in performance. The Alexander technique deals with this directly. It facilitates the creation of the physical life of characters with ease allowing fuller emotional expression” 

Soul of the American by actor Tom Valiliades

“For all of us, not just actors, life puts great stress and strain on our bodies. The Alexander Technique has given me a self-help method of teaching me to relax and adjust my posture so that my body, which for an actor is an instrument, can work as well as possible.”

Jeremy Irons

 “Every actor plays from his own body. The Alexander Technique gives you the control over your body so your body can express the character which is the most important aspect of interpretation.”

Stella Adler  

 “The Alexander Technique is a constructive, conscious kindness to ourselves, cooperating with our design and supporting our desires and our dreams.”

Definition of the Alexander Technique by Cathy Madden, From her book Onstage Synergy  Integrative Alexander Technique Practice for Performing Artists.